Slow Cooked Mango BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Diced fresh mango, mango chutney, and mango nectar work together to give this meaty, saucy dish an amped-up fruit flavor. If you like, feel free to tailor the heat level to your taste. To simplify the recipe, use a purchased mango barbecue sauce and skip reducing the sauce after the ribs have cooked. To lacquer the ribs, broil them after you remove them from the slow cooker.

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3-1⁄2 lb. pork baby back ribs, cut into two pieces to fit into the slow cooker

One 10-oz. jar high-quality mango chutney (about 1 cup), such as Major Grey’s

1⁄2 cup thick mango nectar, such as Looza

One 14-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, with juice

1⁄4 cup fresh-squeezed, strained lime juice

2 Tbs. light brown sugar

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 Tbs. cider vinegar

1 Tbs. low-sodium tamari soy sauce

1 Tbs. adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles en adobo

1 tsp. kosher salt

1⁄2 tsp. chili powder

1⁄4 tsp. Tabasco green pepper sauce

1 mango, diced, for serving

Tip:

To adapt a slow-cooker recipe to a conventional oven, follow these guidelines: add more liquid, to accommodate for greater evaporation; bring the dish to a boil over high heat in a Dutch oven, then cover the pot and put in a 350°F oven. Plan on the dish taking roughly half the time to cook in the oven as it would in the slow cooker.

Lay the ribs—bone side visible—against the sides of the slow cooker insert, lining it.

Add the remaining ingredients (except the mango) to a medium-size saucepan, stir well, and heat over high. Bring to a boil, and boil for about 15 minutes, gently mashing the tomatoes with a potato masher, until the sauce is reduced to about 2-1⁄2 cups. Pour over the ribs to cover. Cover and cook on low until tender, 6 to 8 hours.

Carefully transfer the ribs to a large serving platter and cover with foil. Let the sauce sit in the slow cooker for about 5 minutes, then use a large spoon or ladle to skim the fat off the surface. Pour the sauce into a medium-size saucepan, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Cook until reduced to about 1-1⁄2 cups, about 15 minutes. Pour the thickened sauce over the ribs, sprinkle the diced mango on top, and serve.